Snatam Kaur practices Stretch Pose as her daughter Jap Preet looks on.
Life has such an ebb and flow. One minute you can be riding the wave, the next minute you are under the wave. One minute you can feel safe and secure in your life, and the next minute you can feel totally threatened by something.
I find that when I meditate it helps me to separate myself from the sting of something to realize that it is all coming from God's Divine Will. Usually the most emotionally charged things aren't really that big of a deal anyway. It is our own emotions, our own feelings that must pass through us one way or another. As the ups and downs of life happen to me I am learning to be alright with it and stay centered.
This past week I was given the gift of realizing that there is a great yoga posture that can really help me to stay centered. I'd like to share it with you.
This is one of the most powerful postures in all of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan. Lie on your back. Raise your head up six inches, your feet up six inches, point your hands towards your feet and begin a powerful breath of fire. Breath of fire is a rapid breath through the nose.(Editor's Note: Need a tutorial on Breath of Fire? Click here and watch Anne Novak for Spirit Voyage's video on how to do it!) Do this Stretch Pose for as long as you can! I suggest going for one minute at least. When I do this posture in the morning as a part of my Kundalini Yoga set it completely anchors me into my navel center. From this place I feel less reactive, more positive, and stronger on every level. This posture harnesses and concentrates your "Chi", the energy that is naturally at your navel center. The more navel based exercises you do the more this Chi is available for you physically, and mentally. It will give you the key to staying centered and balanced in your life. There are many navel exercises that help increase your Chi. Stretch pose is one of the quickest and most powerful ones that I have ever experienced.
It is better to take a break from Stretch Pose if you are pregnant or in your menstrual cycle.
I have practiced this posture my whole life, but last week I had a "ah ha" moment. I realized that this exercise can keep me centered, and that I am very grateful for it in my life. These kind of moments I find are precious, because someone can tell you how good something is for you, but it is not until you get it on a deep level inside that the "ah ha" moment happens.
Snatam Kaur was introduced to music and spiritual practice at an early age. Schooled in kirtan, meditation, and Gurmukhi, the Sanskrit-based language of Sikh scriptures from Northern India, the young Snatam Kaur began to develop the devotion and skills that have grown and blossomed into a compelling, profound talent.
Snatam Kaur's parents brought her up in the Sikh tradition as taught by Yogi Bhajan. From an early age, she practiced yoga and meditation daily and her mother taught her Gurmukhi. "My mother taught me the alphabet on my way to school every morning," recalls Snatam. Her Sikh community augmented these lessons with instruction in kirtan (devotional chanting). "Through these experiences, I learned the pronunciation," she says, "but also I learned the passion for what I was singing because these gatherings were so spiritual."
As a child, Snatam also had training in voice, violin, guitar, and percussion. She obtained a solid foundation in Western classical music while playing violin in an orchestra and giving solo performances. Her many opportunities to use and expand her musical talent in a spiritual setting emphasized for her the connection between her music and spirituality. "I learned about the importance of sound currents from Yogi Bhajan," she says, "but I also had the personal experience of how the energy of these sacred words can have a very real, positive effect."
Snatam further explored the power of sound in India. After high school, her love for the Indian musical tradition and for children took her to Miri Piri Academy, a boarding school for children in India. She spent time taking care of the young children, teaching physical education, and providing music for the children's morning and evening chanting. When she returned to the United States, she attended Mills College in Oakland, California, where she obtained a degree in biochemistry, taught yoga classes, and shared her chants with Western audiences. But India called her back. After touring and performing Kirtan in northern India, Snatam settled in Amritsar where she studied music with the accomplished ragi (Indian master of Sikh-style kirtan) Bhai Hari Singh. This was a great honor for her, and particularly meaningful because Singh was the same teacher who had taught her mother when she was just a little girl.
Snatam embraced everything that Singh taught her, from the technical aspects of the notes, to the ability to sing with presence and awareness. The lessons took place in Singh's home, where Snatam was welcomed by the entire family--daughters, sons, and grandchildren.
While in Amritsar, Snatam lived next door to the Golden Temple, considered the world's holiest Sikh temple. Sacred music resonates from inside the temple from about 2:30 in the morning to midnight every day-sounds created by world-class masters of Sikh kirtan. This enabled Snatam to continually soak in the essence of the Sound Current.
Upon returning to the US from India, Snatam began her career as a recording artist with a band called the Peace Family. She served as the band's lead singer and, with two skilled and accomplished musicians - Livtar Singh and GuruGanesha Singh, had her first opportunity to write songs. Two years later she began to develop her own sound and style and embarked on a very fruitful solo career.
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